Hidden in Plain Sight
by CarriePoppins
Summary: Deku and Ochako are on the run from the League of Villains. When they get cornered, Ochako comes up with a... creative way to avoid drawing attention.


_Author's Note:_

So a close friend and I have been on a My Hero Academia kick for the last few weeks preparing for the new season to come out in October (SO excited for that by the way!). This popped into my head the other day and this afternoon I sat down just wanting to write and this was what flowed - despite my plans to really dig into some of my ongoing works. Author's brain is weird like that sometimes. Hope you enjoy!

.oOo.

Deku clutches my hand as we stagger through the shoving, seething crowd, struggling to keep our faces hidden - he in the cowl of his winter coat, me in my fluffy, oversized pink scarf. I don't know if we've managed to lose ourselves in the crowd or not, but one thing's for sure: we can't risk stopping now. Not with Twice and Dabi coming after us. I wish that we could just lay them out flat - I mean why did I train with Gunhead if I'm never going to _use_ that training? - but with so many people around, we really can't take that risk. All we have left to do is run.

"Here," Deku pants, tugging me around a sharp corner into a side alley, guiding me - hopefully - towards safety. Then, a moment later, he freezes, a low groan slipping past his lips. "Dead end," he mutters, his eyes flickering back and forth. "We could try to get up to the roof-"

"Come out, come out wherever you are! They can come out if they feel like it; we don't need to make them! Shut up, yes we do; Dabi's counting on us!"

I flinch, glancing back over my shoulder at the sound of the familiar voice. "There isn't time to get to the roof. We need to hide in plain sight," I hiss back.

"How?!"

I chew my lip, glancing up at him. If I tell him what I'm thinking, he'll either fall into a flustered stupor or a fit of muttered overanalysis, and frankly, we don't have time to waste. So instead, I seize him by the shoulders, spin around so that my back is against the wall, grab his hands and tug them to my waist.

"U-Uraraka-san?"

"Just go with it!"

"Go with _what?!_"

I can hear hear Twice's schizophrenic grumbling drawing closer.

Time's up. I grab the edges of his hood, then use them to yank his head down so that his lips crash against mine, cutting off his mewl of surprise.

The first flaw in my plan: Deku immediately goes stiff as a board, his hands pulling away from my sides and flailing slightly in a mild panic attack. I quickly take action to get him to relax, slipping a hand into his hair beneath his hood and gently massaging his scalp while my other hand wraps loosely around his neck, anchoring myself and lifting up on my toes to press my lips more firmly, more softly against his.

The second flaw? My attempt to correct the first works a little too well.

Deku chokes and stumbles forward, catching himself against the wall behind me, effectively trapping me in his embrace and simultaneously knocking me back onto my feet, gasping for breath as my lips naturally fall away from his. He must have caught onto my plan because he chases me, one arm bending so that I'm thoroughly pinned between a brick wall and his well-muscled chest, causing my breath to hitch sharply and my heartrate to spike as his other hand falls back to my waist. As he swoops down to kiss me again, I make the mistake of glancing at his forest green eyes, smoldering at half-mast.

_Oh Gods._

I don't know when my hands shifted to grip his shoulders, but I'm grateful for the extra support because I was _not_ prepared to face the onslaught of his lips upon mine. Already out of breath from our mad rush through the crowd, he kisses me hungrily, his lips pulling at mine as though he can steal them away, and I can't help but respond in kind, snatching quick sips of air between each clumsy, devastatingly addictive touch. Then his hand burrows in my hair, his calloused fingers lightly brushing against the nape of my neck, sending a shiver all the way down my spine and turning my knees to jelly, and I _melt_ into him.

A breathy moan escapes my mouth before I can stop it. It's a darn good thing that he's holding me so tightly, because right now it's all I can do to clutch the front of his coat - the only steady object in my rapidly spinning world. All the remaining air has frozen in my lungs, but who needs to breathe when I have Deku's kiss to sustain me? Right here, right now, is all that matters. In this little bubble, in this little moment, I am safe. I am whole. I can lose all sense of fear, all sense of time, all sense of danger-

Danger.

Twice.

The League.

I wrench myself back from him, panting heavily, my eyes wide. "Deku! Shigaraki!" I gasp frantically.

Deku stares down at me, his eyes hazy and confused, breathing just as heavily as I am. "Shig… oh. Oh! R-right!" he stutters, a semblance of awareness returning to his eyes, his hands sliding from my hair to my shoulders, his eyes lingering on my mouth. Then they widen even _further_ than before, and he blushes crimson before leaping away as though I had burned him. "OhmygoshI'msosorryIdon'tknowwhatcameovermeI'materriblefriendandI'msosorryIgotcarriedawayandIpromiseIwon'teverdoita-"

I quickly touch my fingertips to his lips to cut off his ramble, my blush heating to match his. "It-It's okay, Deku," I squeak, tearing my eyes from his _adorably_ flustered expression to hold myself back from the temptation of picking up where we left off. "I m-mean… _I _k-kissed _you_ to begin with, you know? And anyway… I… d-didn't really m-mind."

"You… You d-didn't?"

"I-If I did, I w-wouldn't have kissed you. A-And anyway, I kind of got c-carried away too. Sorry."

"Well… Um… W-Was it… nice?"

"Huh?!"

"Nevermind; forget I said that!" he squawks, his voice rising an octave at least as he stumbles back from me, his hands flailing in front of him. "I mean it's not like it meant anything; you were just thinking quickly and trying to save our lives, and it looks like it worked even though I kind of messed it up because I got so carried away and I'm _so_ sorry about that and I really do understand if you hate me now and never want to see me again-"

"Deku!" I cry, lurching forward and instinctively seizing his hands. He jumps, staring down at me with wide eyes, instantly startled out of his muttering. I can feel my cheeks heating up again with the nearness of him, but I force myself to push my embarrassment aside. After all, I can't stand him looking so defeated. Especially not when I am the cause of those emotions. "There is nothing you could ever do to make me hate you," I say firmly, bravely meeting his gorgeous, forest-green eyes. "I told you I didn't mind, right? I know that was… awkward… but I would _never_ want it to come between our friendship. If… If it makes you more comfortable, then we can forget it ever happened," I assure him, fighting to ignore the voice in the back of my head desperately insisting that -

"I don't want to forget."

I startle slightly, staring up at him in amazement. Did… Did I just say that out loud, or did he…? Deku's eyes are averted from mine, two bright spots of color hiding the freckles scattered across his cheeks, his throat bobbing nervously as he gulps. "D-Deku?" I manage weakly, my heart pounding, thought whether it's with fear or hope, I can't be certain.

He takes a deep breath, sets his jaw and forces his gaze back to mine. My heart stutters at the look in his eyes: it's that look of sheer determination and quiet confidence that I first fell in love with. "Uraraka-san… No, Ochako," - I catch my breath breath at the sound of my first name falling from his lips - "when this is all over, there are some things I'd… like to talk to you about."

Hope. It's definitely hope churning in my gut right now and causing a giddy smile to bloom across my face, no matter my attempts to squash it. "When this is all over," I repeat softly. "I'll be waiting."

Deku grins and gently squeezes my hands. I blush, suddenly remembering that I'm still holding them, but I don't pull away, and it's gratifying to realize that he's reluctant to separate from me as well. "Come on," he says eventually, slipping one hand free and shifting his grip with the other so that our fingers are laced together. "Let's go help the others."

"Mhm," I agree, not trusting myself to speak intelligibly when a happy thrill, like a spark, runs up my arm.

I allow Deku to lead me away, hurrying back through the maze of buildings, struggling to pay attention to my surroundings amid the floaty sensations powerful enough to rival my quirk rushing through my entire body. It's nothing certain, I know that, but right now, it doesn't seem to matter. My lips are still tingling from our kiss, my hand is warm in his grip, and my heart is bursting with joy: the joy of knowing that whatever comes next, I'm going to be facing it by his side.


End file.
